MUNICH, Feb 5 (Reuters) - The United States said on Saturday
it backs Egypt's drive for orderly reforms to allow democratic
elections in a sign of a new U.S. emphasis on gradual transition
to resolve the crisis over President Hosni Mubarak's rule.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton threw her weight behind
the reform effort launched by Mubarak's handpicked Vice
President, Omar Suleiman, saying the government's fragile
dialogue with the opposition must be given time to unfold or
risk being derailed by radical forces.

"There are forces at work in any society, and particularly
one that is facing these kinds of challenges, that will try to
derail or overtake the process to pursue their own specific
agenda," Clinton told a security conference in Munich.

"Which is why I think it's important to support the
transition process announced by the Egyptian Government,
actually headed by now Vice President Omar Suleiman."

Suleiman began meeting independent opposition figures on
Saturday to go through various options, including a proposal for
him to assume the president's powers for an interim period.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden telephoned Suleiman on
Saturday to ask about progress on the transition as well as to
express concern over continued attacks on civil groups and
detention of journalists, activists and human rights advocates,
the White House said in a statement.

"He stressed the need for a concrete reform agenda, a clear
timeline, and immediate steps that demonstrate to the public and
the opposition that the Egyptian government is committed to
reform," the statement said.

In one reform gesture, the leadership of Mubarak's ruling
party quit on Saturday following 12 days of protests that have
shaken Egypt to its core. But protesters dismissed the move as a
ruse that would not deter them from their goal of ousting the
president immediately.

U.S. officials said Clinton was not explicitly endorsing a
future political role for Suleiman, Mubarak's long-time
intelligence chief who is viewed sceptically by many in Egypt's
opposition movement.

U.S. President Barack Obama himself has urged Mubarak to
"make the right decision" and U.S. officials have over the past
week indicated they believe his days in power may be numbered.

But Clinton, seeking to place renewed emphasis on the
process of political transition, underscored the U.S. view that
it will take both time and patience to lay the groundwork for
truly democratic new elections to take place.

"Our view is the early discussions are the right thing for
the government to have initiated and now the opposition should
get involved in them to test the proposition that the government
is serious," said one senior U.S. official.

Obama has repeatedly urged Mubarak to begin the transition
immediately, and Clinton said she believed that this process was
already under way and should be allowed time to mature.

"The principles are very clear, the operational details are
very challenging," Clinton said on organising future elections.

"President Mubarak has announced he will not stand for
re-election, nor will his son," she said, noting that the
government had also pledged constitutional reforms and allowing
greater political participation.

"That is what the government has said it is trying to do,
that is what we are supporting, and hope to see it move as
orderly but as expeditiously as possible under the
circumstances."

A BREATHER FOR MUBARAK?

The U.S. position was further clouded Saturday by comments
from a retired U.S. diplomat who Obama sent as his envoy to
speak to Mubarak. Frank Wisner told the Munich meeting by
teleconference Mubarak should stay in place at least for now.

"We need to get a national consensus around the
pre-conditions for the next step forward. The president must
stay in office to steer those changes," Wisner said.

The State Department scrambled to distance itself from
Wisner's remarks, saying it appreciated his work in Cairo but
did not necessarily share his views on Mubarak's future.

"He has not continued in any official capacity following the
trip. The views he expressed today are his own. He did not
coordinate his comments with the U.S. government," State
Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said.

Egypt has dominated Clinton's schedule at the Munich
conference, where she used her speech to warn that the broader
Middle East faces a "perfect storm" of unrest unless regional
leaders get cracking on political reforms. [ID:nN05120132]

Egypt has been a U.S. ally throughout Mubarak's 30-year
tenure and it is strategically vital to American interests
because of its peace treaty with Israel, control of the Suez
Canal and steadfast opposition to militant Islam.

Washington's approach to the Egyptian crisis is also being
closely watched by other U.S.-allied leaders in the region,
ranging from oil giant Saudi Arabia to Yemen, now an important
frontline state in the battle against al Qaeda.

The United States gives Egypt more than $1.3 billion a year
in military aid, giving Washington political leverage, albeit
limited.
(Editing by Diana Abdallah)